The harmonica player has performed with the country music legend for 35 years.

Not long enough to earn that label, Raphael says during a recent phone interview.

"I'm one of the new guys," Raphael says about the Willie Nelson and Family Band. "I'd say (drummer) Paul English (is the sidekick). He's been with Willie for more than 40 years."

Asked to pin a description on his association with Nelson, Raphael goes with:

"Lucky. Fortunate. Willie's very generous," says Raphael, who comes to Syracuse with Nelson and band to be part of The Bob Dylan show Sunday night at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse.

"He's such a great soul and spirit," Raphael says of his friend and boss. "There are no favorites, not even with Paul, or Willie's sister (Bobbie Nelson) singing. It is a family."

Provided PhotoMickey Raphael will be playing harmonica with Willie Nelson's Family Band.

Raphael, a native of Dallas, met fellow Texan Nelson in 1973. Legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal invited Raphael to bring his harmonicas to a post-game party. It turned into a jam session that included Charley Pride and Nelson. One good riff led to another; Nelson invited Raphael to come join him at a gig in New York City.

The relationship opened countless doors for the musician.

''We got to play the White House. I've traveled the world. I got to play in Australia, Bangkok. Exotic places. I like to travel. I like to go places I haven't been before," Raphael says.

"I've gotten to record with Johnny Cash and Waylon (Jennings) and U2 and gotten opportunities I wouldn't have had if I hadn't have been in this organization," he says.

The latest opportunity was to work on "Naked Willie," the RCA/Legacy Records collection released in March.

It's a collection of 17 songs originally recorded by Nelson in Nashville sessions between 1965 and 1974.

The original tapes included lush arrangements and multiple backup singers.

Raphael pitched this idea to record company officials: Take out much of the other musicians' instrumentation and the backup singers and put the focus on Nelson's guitar and voice.

"I wanted it to sound like what Willie would have made it sound like if he had produced it himself," Raphael says. "It was the Chet Atkins sound. ... Instead of adding to, I just took away. That's why I took the 'unproducer' credit."

Raphael says he successfully sold the idea to record company officials before he mentioned his idea to Nelson.

"I just went to Willie for his blessing," Raphael says. "I said, 'This is what I'll do.' He said, 'Go for it.' I played him the finished version, and he liked it. I would have been happy if he just had said nothing. But he said he liked it."

Raphael says Nelson has remained consistent over the years.

"He's always been there for you. He's very accessible," Raphael says. "His door really is always open. He really is available at all times. He hasn't changed a bit. Success has not changed him."

Here's a clip from the CD "Naked Willie," which was "unproduced" by Mickey Raphael. It's "The Local Memory."

Here's a clip from The Wiyos' new CD "Broken Land Bell." It's "Angeline."

The details What: The Bob Dylan Show, with John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and The Wiyos. When: Sunday. Where: Alliance Bank Stadium, Syracuse. Starting times for artists:
5:30 p.m. for The Wiyos.
6:10 p.m. for Willie Nelson.
7:35 p.m. for John Mellencamp.
9:30 p.m. for Bob Dylan.
Nelson, Mellencamp and Dylan have not been playing with each other on the tour so far. Tickets: $67.50, available at the Syracuse Chiefs box office at the stadium, online at www.syracusechiefs.com, www.tickets.com and by phone charge at 800-919-6272.
Between 6,000 and 7,000 tickets had been sold as of Wednesday. When the show was announced in April, officials said they expected a crowd of about 10,000 to 12,000. (The Dave Matthews Band concert scheduled for Aug. 4 sold out at 18,000 tickets.) Parking: $10 per car. Two lots will be open. The main lot, entering on Tex Simone Drive, and the Netti lot, entering on Hiawatha Boulevard across from Fourth North Street. Handicapped parking is at the Wegmans supermarket on Pond Street, where a shuttle will be provided to the stadium. The charge is $2 per passenger instead of a per-car fee. Stage setup: The stage will be set up in the outfield, behind second base.
Take me out to the ballpark: This tour mostly has been held in minor-league baseball stadiums, including shows in Sauget, Ill.; South Bend, Ind.; Louisville; Washington, Pa.; Allentown, Pa.; and New Britain, Conn.
There were no problems reported about the playing field at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown following Tuesday night's show. That's where the Allentown IronPigs play. Park general manager Kurt Landes told the Allentown Morning Call: "There were zero problems with the field, and we're game-ready right now," Landes said. It took about seven hours to break down the stage and roll up the traveling tarp that covered the field. History: Sunday will be Dylan's second concert in Syracuse in less than two years: He played the Onondaga County War Memorial Auditorium in October 2007. Mellencamp played at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in April 2006. Nelson performed in Deansboro, Oneida County, in 2007.
The Allman Brothers Band performed the last concert at Alliance Bank Stadium, in 2000.